Dining in Winnipeg - Sydney's at the Forks

The Forks – Winnipeg
We spent 10 days in Winnipeg this summer visiting our families and celebrating my sister’s wedding. While inWinnipeg we always try to find time to check out a restaurant or two that we have never experienced. During this trip we tried two new restaurants both located at The Forks. If you ever travel to Winnipeg, The Forks is located downtown at the junction of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers – hence the name. It is a combination of Vancouver’s sea wall walk on a smaller scale (when the walk is not flooded), a market a bit like Granville Island, lots of outdoor space and home to many family and other activities such as The Manitoba Theatre for Young People, a children’s museum, The Scotiabank theatre, riverboat tours, a skateboard park and a hotel – The Inn at the Forks. It is also the soon to be home of the Canadian Human Rights Museum and next to the Goldeyes Baseball park. There are several sit down restaurants, many food stands and a few food carts. If you are visiting or a local it is a good place to spend a day.

Sydney’s Restaurant
Sydney’s at The Forks is located on the 2nd floor of the market building and is much more upscale than the building and surroundings it is in. With both large and small dining areas it good for groups or intimate dinners. The decor includes dark hardwood floors and glass fixtures with heavy tableware settings and white linen. The only downside was the washrooms which better suited a country theme with odd wooden doors and fixtures that did not match the restaurant decor (and they were completely out of hand towels). We were a table of 9 and the server did a great job keeping the water and the wine flowing.

Menu and Appetizers
For dinner the only menu available is a prix fix $55 four course meal. The menu had a decent amount of good choices but according to our family had been the same for both July and August. With no Al a Carte menu available it is a place you need to visit with a healthy appetite and to check to see when the menu changes. The offerings for a Starter included Zucchini Soup, Mussels, Grilled Asparagus and Yam Vichyssoise. Jeff chose the Zucchini soup which was creamy with a hint of rosemary and fennel and quite good. I chose the Grilled Asparagus with chèvre, toasted almonds and citrus caviar. It was a tasty dish but the asparagus was more a like a cold salad in a vinaigrette dressing than the grilled and warm asparagus that I had expected. For Appetizers the choices were: Soft Shell Crab, Lemongrass Chicken, Zucchini Flowers and Lamb Ravioli. After much consultation we decided to order the crab and the ravioli and to share. Neither of us had tried soft shell crab before and it was very good. Fried in a garlic and cracked pepper crust it was crispy on the outside but not overcooked. The crab was fresh and juicy on the inside. The ravioli was stuffed with lamb and topped with walnut pesto. The filing was very good but the pasta was a bit overcooked.